Ancient Corinth and the Corinth Canal

Roman Corinth With The Archaic Temple Of Apollo And The Bema Where Paul Is Said To Have Stood; Acrocorinth Fortress; And The 6.4 Km Corinth Canal Cut Through The Isthmus In 1893 · Archaia Korinthos, Peloponnese

Corinth stands at the isthmus that joins the Peloponnese to mainland Greece, and this row joins three places a short drive apart. Ancient Corinth, about 8 km south-west of the modern city, was one of the richest cities of Greece; it was destroyed by Rome in 146 BC and refounded as a Roman colony by Julius Caesar in 44 BC. Seven Doric columns of the sixth-century BC Temple of Apollo still stand above the Roman forum, the Peirene fountain and the bema where the apostle Paul is said to have been brought before the governor Gallio, which makes the site a pilgrimage stop. Above it rises Acrocorinth, a vast walled fortress on a 575 m rock, often nearly empty, with one of the great views of Greece. East of the city, the Corinth Canal, cut in 1893, is a 6.4 km trench with walls up to about 90 m high. Honest caveat: for most people the canal is a 20-minute roadside stop; it is the ancient site and Acrocorinth that make this worth a half day or more.

Archaeological Site of Ancient Corinth, Archaia Korinthos, Korinthia; Acrocorinth above it; the canal about 8 km east at Isthmia, Archaia Korinthos, Peloponnese, Greece

Ancient Corinth is a state site with its museum: in summer roughly 08:00 to 19:00 or 20:00 daily, in winter much shorter (often closing around 15:00-17:00); closed on 1 January, 25 March, 1 May, Easter Sunday and 25-26 December - confirm current hours. Acrocorinth has its own, shorter and more variable hours and has closed by mid-afternoon at times - confirm. The canal can be viewed from the bridges at any hour. The canal closed to shipping from November 2025 after rockfalls and reopened on 17 June 2026; bank works may continue. Reach the area by car (about 1 hour from Athens), by suburban train to Corinth then taxi, or by KTEL bus to the Isthmos stop at the canal.

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